JPWO2019171528A1 - Driving support device and driving support method - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving support device and a driving support method capable of providing appropriate driving support to a driver when merging or changing lanes. The driving support device according to the present invention includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the current position and speed of the vehicle, and a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the current position and speed of another vehicle. And when the own vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit and the other vehicle information acquisition unit Generated by the object generation unit, which generates a traveling position object indicating at least one of a position where the own vehicle should currently travel and a position where the own vehicle should not currently travel, based on the other vehicle information acquired by And a display control unit that controls to display the traveling position object by superimposing it on the scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

Description

The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method for providing driving assistance to a driver of an own vehicle when joining or changing lanes from a lane in which an own vehicle is traveling to a lane in which another vehicle is traveling.

When merging on a highway while driving the vehicle or changing lanes to adjacent lanes, the driver of the own vehicle may notice the lanes of the merging road or other vehicles traveling in the lane changing lane. You need to be careful.

Conventionally, a technology is disclosed that identifies a merging portion for merging the own vehicle with a traveling lane of another vehicle, and presents a position on the road surface to be steered for merging the own vehicle to the merging portion to the driver. (For example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, a technique is disclosed in which the occupant of the host vehicle is presented with a merging point and a time required to reach the merging point (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP, 2008-151507, A JP, 2017-102739, A

When merging or changing lanes of the own vehicle, it is useful for the driver to know at which position the own vehicle is currently traveling to smoothly join or change lanes. On the other hand, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is no mention of at which position the own vehicle is currently traveling to be able to smoothly join at the joining portion. Therefore, there is room for improvement in driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and provides a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method capable of providing appropriate driving assistance to a driver when merging or changing lanes. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, a driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention is a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the current position and speed of the vehicle, and another vehicle that includes the current position and speed of another vehicle. When the other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information and the own vehicle merge or change lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the own vehicle information acquisition unit acquires the information. Object generation for generating a traveling position object indicating at least one of a position where the own vehicle should currently travel and a position where the own vehicle should not currently travel based on the vehicle information and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit And a display control unit that performs control to display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit by superimposing it on the scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

Further, the driving support method according to the present invention acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of another vehicle, and the own vehicle When merging or changing lanes from a running lane to a lane in which another vehicle is running, based on the acquired own vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information, the position where the own vehicle should currently travel and the current traveling lane A traveling position object indicating at least one of the positions that should not be generated is generated, and the generated traveling position object is superimposed and displayed on the surrounding scenery of the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

According to the present invention, the driving support device includes the own vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, and the other vehicle information that acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of another vehicle. When the acquisition unit and the own vehicle merge or change lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit and the other vehicle information An object generation unit that generates a traveling position object that indicates at least one of a position where the vehicle should currently travel and a position that should not currently travel based on the other vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the object generation unit. Since the generated traveling position object is provided with a display control unit that controls to display the traveling position object by superimposing it on the scenery around the own vehicle according to the progress of the own vehicle, an appropriate driving for the driver when joining or changing lanes It becomes possible to provide support.

In addition, the driving support method acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of another vehicle, and the own vehicle is traveling by the own vehicle. When merging or changing lanes from the existing lane to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, based on the acquired own vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information, the position at which the own vehicle should currently drive and should not currently drive A driving position object that indicates at least one of the positions is generated, and the generated driving position object is displayed by being superimposed on the scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels. It is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to

Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example before the merging by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example after the merging by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the driving support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the driving support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation|movement of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation|movement of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance system by embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
<Structure>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary configuration of the driving support device according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that the driving support device 1 is installed in the own vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 2, a vehicle information acquisition unit 3, an object generation unit 4, and a display control unit 5. The own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle. The object generation unit 4 acquires the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 when the own vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the own vehicle should currently travel and a position where it should not currently travel is generated. The display control unit 5 controls to display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

Here, merging and lane change will be described.

The merging means that the own vehicle 6 moves from the lane in which the own vehicle 6 is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicles 7 to 9 are traveling, as shown in FIGS. In the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the host vehicle 6 merges from the ramp between the other vehicles 8 and 9 in the lane in which the other vehicles 7 to 9 are traveling. The lane change means that the host vehicle moves from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the adjacent lane.

Next, another configuration of the driving support device including the driving support device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 10 according to another configuration.

As shown in FIG. 4, the driving support device 10 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 2, another vehicle information acquisition unit 3, an object generation unit 4, a display control unit 5, a map information acquisition unit 13, and overall control. And a section 14. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 and the overall control unit 14 are connected to the photographing device 15, the map information acquisition unit 13 is connected to the map information storage device 16, and the display control unit 5 is connected to the display device 17.

The own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle. The current position of the host vehicle is, for example, the absolute position of the host vehicle included in the GPS (Global Positioning System) signal. Note that a more accurate current position of the host vehicle may be obtained based on the absolute position of the host vehicle included in the GPS signal, the speed of the host vehicle, the travel distance, the steering direction, and the like. In this case, it is assumed that the information on the moving distance and the steering direction of the host vehicle is included in the host vehicle information acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 includes another vehicle position calculation unit 11 and another vehicle speed calculation unit 12. The other vehicle position calculation unit 11 acquires an image captured by the image capturing device 15 and performs image processing on the image to calculate the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. The other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 acquires an image captured by the image capturing device 15 and processes the image to calculate the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. The image capturing device 15 is installed in the host vehicle and captures an image of the surroundings of the host vehicle. Specifically, the image capturing device 15 captures images such that the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the lane in which the vehicle merges or changes lanes are included in the image.

In the example of FIG. 4, the case where the relative position and speed of the other vehicle are calculated by performing image processing on the image captured by the image capturing device 15 has been described, but the invention is not limited to this. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 may acquire the absolute position information of the other vehicle and the speed information of the other vehicle from the other vehicle. In this case, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11 and the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 are unnecessary.

The map information acquisition unit 13 acquires map information including at least lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the current position of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 2. The lane information includes lane marking information. The map information storage device 16 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a semiconductor memory, and stores map information including at least lane information. The map information storage device 16 may be installed inside the host vehicle or outside the host vehicle. The map information storage device 16 may be included in the driving support device 10.

Based on the current position and speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the current position and speed of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the overall control unit 14 joins the own vehicle or Calculate the points where you can change lanes. The point at which the vehicle can merge or change lanes can be calculated using a known technique such as Patent Document 1, for example. In addition, the overall control unit 14 calculates at least one of a position where the current vehicle should travel and a position where the current vehicle should not travel in order to reach a point where the vehicle can merge or change lanes. Further, the overall control unit 14 can detect the lane markings forming the lane in which the vehicle is traveling by performing image processing on the image captured by the image capturing device 15.

The object generation unit 4 generates a traveling position object that indicates at least one of the position where the host vehicle should currently travel and the position where it should not currently travel calculated by the overall control unit 14. At this time, the object generation unit 4 determines the shape of the traveling position object based on the image captured by the image capturing device 15.

The display control unit 5 controls the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 to be displayed on the display device 17 while being superimposed on the scenery around the own vehicle as the own vehicle advances. The display device 17 is, for example, a HUD (Head Up Display), a monitor provided in the instrument panel, a monitor provided in the center console, or the like. For example, when the display device 17 is a HUD, the display control unit 5 performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on the actual scenery seen through the windshield. Further, when the display device 17 is a monitor, the display control unit 5 performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on the image captured by the imaging device 15.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the driving support device 10. The same applies to the driving support device 1 shown in FIG.

Own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, object generation unit 4, display control unit 5, other vehicle position calculation unit 11, other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, map information acquisition unit 13, and Each function of the overall control unit 14 is realized by a processing circuit. That is, the driving support device 10 acquires own vehicle information, acquires other vehicle information, generates an object, performs control to display the object, calculates the position of the other vehicle, and calculates the speed of the other vehicle. , The map information is acquired, the point where the own vehicle can join or change the lane is calculated, and at least one of the position where the own vehicle should be currently traveling and the position where the current vehicle should not be traveling are calculated, and the lane marking A processing circuit for detecting The processing circuit is a processor 18 (also referred to as a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in the memory 19.

Own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, object generation unit 4, display control unit 5, other vehicle position calculation unit 11, other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, map information acquisition unit 13, and Each function of the overall control unit 14 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 19. The processing circuit realizes the function of each unit by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 19. That is, the driving support device 10 acquires the own vehicle information, acquires the other vehicle information, generates the object, controls the display of the object, calculates the position of the other vehicle, and the other vehicle. Of the steps of calculating the speed of the vehicle, acquiring map information, calculating the point where the vehicle can merge or change lanes, A memory 19 is provided for storing a program in which the step of calculating at least one of the steps and the step of detecting the lane markings will be executed as a result. In addition, these programs include the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, and the map information acquisition unit 13. , And the procedure or method of the overall control unit 14 can be executed by a computer. Here, the memory is, for example, a nonvolatile or volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). A semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD, or any storage medium used in the future.

<Operation>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 1 shown in FIG.

In step S101, the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle.

In step S102, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle.

In step S103, the object generation unit 4 acquires the self-vehicle information acquired by the self-vehicle information acquisition unit 2 when the self-vehicle joins or changes the lane in which the self-vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling. Based on the vehicle information and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the own vehicle should currently travel and a position where the own vehicle should not currently travel is generated.

In step S104, the display control unit 5 performs control to display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

In step S105, the display control unit 5 determines whether to end the display of the traveling position object. When ending the display of the traveling position object, the processing ends. On the other hand, if the display of the traveling position object is not ended, the process returns to step S101.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG.

In step S201, the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle.

In step S202, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 and the overall control unit 14 acquire an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle taken by the imaging device 15. The image around the vehicle includes the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the lane in which the vehicle merges or changes lanes.

In step S203, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11 calculates the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle by performing image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15. The other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 calculates the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle by performing image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15.

In step S204, the overall control unit 14 determines whether or not the lane markings forming the lane in which the vehicle is traveling are detected by performing image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15. When the lane marking is not detected, the process proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, when a lane marking is detected, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S205, the map information acquisition unit 13 acquires the map information including the lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the position of the own vehicle according to the instruction of the overall control unit 14.

In step S206, the map information acquisition unit 13 acquires the map information including the lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the position of the own vehicle according to the instruction of the overall control unit 14. In this case, the lane markings that form the lane in which the vehicle is traveling are the lane markings detected from the image acquired by the overall control unit 14 from the image capturing device 15 and the lane markings included in the lane information acquired from the map information storage device 16. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the lane markings can be further improved. The process of step S206 may be omitted.

In step S207, the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object indicating at least one of the position where the host vehicle should currently travel and the position where it should not currently travel calculated by the overall control unit 14. At this time, the object generation unit 4 determines the shape of the traveling position object based on the image captured by the image capturing device 15.

In step S208, the display control unit 5 controls the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 to be displayed on the display device 17 by being superimposed on the scenery around the own vehicle as the own vehicle advances.

In step S209, the overall control unit 14 determines whether to end the display of the traveling position object. When ending the display of the traveling position object, the processing ends. On the other hand, when the display of the traveling position object is not ended, the process returns to step S201.

<Display>
8 to 26 are diagrams showing an example of the display of the driving support, and show an example of the display of the traveling position object. 8 to 26 show the case where the own vehicle joins the lane in which the other vehicle 21 is traveling from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, but the same applies when the lane is changed. The display device 17 in FIGS. 8 to 26 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 8, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the traveling position object 20 on the left lane marking of the lanes in which the vehicle travels. In the traveling position object 20, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. That is, the position where the own vehicle should currently travel and the position where the own vehicle should not currently travel are displayed separately. As shown in FIG. 8, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more. Note that, in FIG. 8, the traveling position object 20 is superimposed on the left lane marking of the vehicle, but the traveling position object 20 is superimposed on the right lane marking of the vehicle, that is, the lane marking located in the merging direction. May be.

In FIG. 9, the current position of the host vehicle is the current position of the host vehicle. Other displays are the same as in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the traveling position object 20 on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The traveling position object 20 extends from the current position of the own vehicle to a point where the own vehicle can meet. In the traveling position object 20, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. As shown in FIG. 10, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

In FIG. 11, the current position of the vehicle is the current position of the vehicle. The other display is the same as in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 12, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the traveling position object 20 on the entire lane in which the vehicle is traveling. In the traveling position object 20, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. As shown in FIG. 12, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

In FIG. 13, the current position of the vehicle is the current position of the vehicle. Other displays are the same as those in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 14, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the traveling position object 20 on the entire lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The traveling position object 20 indicates only the position where the own vehicle, which is hatched in the sandy land, should currently travel. As shown in FIG. 14, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

In FIG. 15, the current position of the vehicle is the current position of the vehicle. Other displays are the same as in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the acceleration/deceleration object 22 on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The acceleration/deceleration object 22 is an object that indicates with characters or symbols that the host vehicle is currently to accelerate or decelerate. In addition, in FIG. 16, the tip of the arrow of the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicates the position where the vehicle is currently traveling. Further, the acceleration/deceleration object 22 may blink. As shown in FIG. 16, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 17, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 8 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 shown in FIG. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel in the travel position object 20 and the position of the tip of the arrow of the acceleration/deceleration object 22 match in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 18, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 9 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicated by the letters “OK”. As a result, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 19, the display device 17 is displaying the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 10 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 shown in FIG. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel in the travel position object 20 and the position of the tip of the arrow of the acceleration/deceleration object 22 match in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Thereby, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 20, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 11 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicated by the letters “OK”. As a result, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 21, the display device 17 superimposes the traveling position object 20 on the left lane marking of the lanes in which the vehicle travels, and is indicated by the letters “+10 Km/m”. The acceleration/deceleration object 22 is displayed. In the traveling position object 20, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located ahead of the position where the host vehicle currently travels shown in FIG. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 10 km/h faster than the current speed.

As illustrated in FIG. 22, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 illustrated in FIG. 8 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 represented by the character “+5 Km/m”. Thus, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 5 km/h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 23, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 9 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicated by the letters “OK”. As a result, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 24, the display device 17 superimposes the traveling position object 20 on the entire lane on which the vehicle is traveling, and displays the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicated by the letters “+10 Km/m”. .. In the traveling position object 20, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located ahead of the current position of the host vehicle shown in FIG. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 10 km/h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 25, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 12 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 shown by the letters “+5 Km/m”. Thus, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 5 km/h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 26, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 13 and the acceleration/deceleration object 22 indicated by the letters “OK”. As a result, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

From the above, according to the first embodiment, the position at which the vehicle is currently traveling when the vehicle joins or changes lanes is displayed on the display device 17. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

<Second Embodiment>
Since the configuration of the driving support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the second embodiment. Note that steps S301 to S306 in FIG. 27 correspond to steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 7, and thus description thereof will be omitted here. Below, step S307-step S310 are demonstrated.

In step S307, the object generation unit 4 generates a traveling position object indicating a route from the current position of the own vehicle to a point where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can merge.

In step S308, the object generation unit 4 generates a confluence prediction object. Specifically, the overall control unit 14 calculates the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the own vehicle travels to the point where it merges at the current speed. The object generation unit 4 includes a virtual own vehicle, which is a virtual own vehicle, and a virtual other vehicle, at each of the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the own vehicle travels to a point where the vehicle merges at the current speed. An object indicating a virtual other vehicle that is a vehicle is generated. Objects indicating the objects of the virtual own vehicle and the virtual other vehicle correspond to the merge prediction object.

In step S309, the display control unit 5 sets the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 in step S307 and the merge predicted object generated by the object generation unit 4 in step S308 around the host vehicle as the vehicle advances. The display device 17 is controlled so as to be superimposed on the scenery.

In step S310, the overall control unit 14 determines whether or not to end the display of the traveling position object and the merge prediction object. When the display of the traveling position object and the confluence prediction object is ended, the processing is ended. On the other hand, if the display of the traveling position object and the merge prediction object is not finished, the process returns to step S301.

28 and 29 are diagrams showing an example of the display of the driving support, and show an example of the display of the traveling position object and the confluence prediction object. 28 and 29 show the case where the host vehicle joins the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, but the same applies when the lane is changed. The display device 17 in FIGS. 28 and 29 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 28, the display device 17 displays a traveling position object 25 that indicates a route from the current position of the own vehicle to a point where the own vehicle can meet, which is calculated by the overall control unit 14. There is. In the traveling position object 25, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. Further, the display device 17 displays the virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 at the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the own vehicle travels to the point where the own vehicle merges at the current speed. As a result, the driver can determine that if the vehicle is driven at this speed, it will not come into contact with another vehicle at the time of merging.

As shown in FIG. 29, the display device 17 displays a traveling position object 25 indicating a route from the current position of the own vehicle to a point where the own vehicle can meet, which is calculated by the overall control unit 14. There is. In the traveling position object 25, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. Further, the display device 17 displays the virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 at the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the own vehicle travels to the point where the own vehicle merges at the current speed. The virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 are in contact with each other. At this time, the virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 may be emphasized. As a result, the driver can determine that it is necessary to accelerate or decelerate the own vehicle because the driver will contact another vehicle at the time of merging if the driver drives at this speed.

From the above, according to the second embodiment, the position of the own vehicle at which the own vehicle should travel at the time of merging or changing lanes, and the position of the own vehicle at the time of traveling to the point where the own vehicle merges at the current speed The virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 are displayed at the positions of the other vehicle and the other vehicle, respectively. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

<Third Embodiment>
Since the configuration of the driving support device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of display of driving assistance, and shows an example of display of a traveling position object. Although FIG. 30 shows the case where the own vehicle joins the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, the same applies when the lane is changed. Further, the display device 17 in FIG. 30 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 30, there are two points before and after the other vehicle 26 where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can merge. The display device 17 displays the traveling position objects 27 and 28 indicating the route from the current position of the own vehicle to each point where the own vehicle can join, which is calculated by the overall control unit 14. In the traveling position objects 27 and 28, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the vehicle should currently travel, and the hatched area indicates the position where the vehicle should not travel currently. There is. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the own vehicle needs to be accelerated when the vehicle merges in front of the other vehicle 26. Further, when the driver merges behind the other vehicle 26, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of display of driving assistance, and shows an example of display of a traveling position object. Note that FIG. 31 shows the case where the own vehicle joins the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, but the same applies when the lane is changed. The display device 17 in FIG. 31 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 31, the points where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can merge are located in front of the other vehicle 30 and between the other vehicles 30 and 31. .. The display device 17 displays the traveling position objects 32 and 33 indicating the route from the current position of the own vehicle to each point where the own vehicle can merge, which is calculated by the overall control unit 14. In the running position objects 32 and 33, the area hatched in the sandy area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area hatched indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently run. There is. In FIG. 31, since the other vehicle 29 exists on the route indicated by the traveling position object 32, the own vehicle cannot join in front of the other vehicle 30. Therefore, when the driver sees the traveling position object 32, when the vehicle joins in front of the other vehicle 30 or between the other vehicles 30 and 31, the driver can determine that the own vehicle should be driven at this speed.

Note that, in FIG. 31, the traveling position objects 32 and 33 may be hidden when the lane to be merged or to change lanes is congested. In addition, the traveling position object 32 may be semi-transparent or blinking, or may be hidden, in a portion that overlaps with another vehicle 29 that exists in the front in the same lane as the own vehicle, or the whole thereof.

From the above, according to the third embodiment, when there are a plurality of points where the vehicle can join, the traveling position object is displayed for each point. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

<Embodiment 4>
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a case will be described in which the display device 17 is an electronic mirror that displays the rear of the vehicle. Since the configuration of the driving support device according to the fourth embodiment is similar to that of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the fourth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 32, the own vehicle 34 is about to join between the other vehicle 35 and the other vehicle 36. Note that FIG. 32 shows the case where the own vehicle merges, but the same applies when changing the lane.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of display of driving assistance, and shows an example of display of a traveling position object. In the left diagram of FIG. 33, the display device 17, which is an electronic mirror, displays the left rear of the host vehicle 34. In the right diagram of FIG. 33, the display device 17 which is an electronic mirror displays the right rear of the host vehicle 34.

As shown in the right diagram of FIG. 33, the display device 17 displays a traveling position object 37 indicating the position where the vehicle should currently travel on the lane behind the vehicle 34. In the traveling position object 37, the area hatched by the sandy sand indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the hatched area indicates the position where the host vehicle should not travel currently. Thus, the driver can determine that the own vehicle 34 needs to be decelerated when the other vehicle 35 and the other vehicle 36 merge.

From the above, according to the fourth embodiment, the traveling position object is displayed on the electronic mirror that displays the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

In the fourth embodiment, the case where the display device 17 is an electronic mirror has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display device 17 may have a configuration in which a transparent display panel is provided on the surface of a mirror that reflects the rear of the vehicle. In this case, the traveling position object is displayed on the display panel.

<Embodiment 5>
In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, a case will be described in which the object generation unit 4 generates a traveling position object according to the degree to which the vehicle can merge or change lanes. Since the configuration of the driving support device according to the fifth embodiment is similar to that of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 34 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 34, the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object including a lane changeable area 39, a lane change caution area 40, and a lane unchangeable area 41. The lane changeable region 39 and the lane change caution region 40 correspond to the position where the vehicle 38 should currently travel. The lane unchangeable region 41 corresponds to a position where the host vehicle 38 should not currently travel. Based on the current position and speed of the own vehicle and the current position and speed of the other vehicle, the overall control unit 14 determines each area of the lane changeable area 39, the lane change caution area 40, and the lane unchangeable area 41. calculate. The object generation unit 4 generates an object indicating each area based on the calculation result of the overall control unit 14.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a display of driving assistance according to the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 35, the display device 17 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 35, the display device 17 displays the lane changeable region 39, the lane change caution region 40, and the lane unchangeable region 41 so as to be distinguishable from each other on the lane line. This allows the driver to determine which position is capable of changing lanes when changing lanes.

The display control unit 5 may control display or non-display of the traveling position object according to a predetermined event. Here, as the predetermined event, for example, when the driver of the own vehicle gives an instruction with a turn signal, when it is detected that another vehicle behind is approaching the own vehicle, or the driver of the own vehicle changes lanes. For example, when a gesture to do is performed.

The display control unit 5 may perform control so that the traveling position object is displayed only on the lane line on the lane changing side.

Although the case of changing lanes has been described above, the same applies to the case of merging. Further, the fifth embodiment can be applied to the first to fourth embodiments.

From the above, according to the fifth embodiment, the traveling position object according to the extent to which the vehicle can be merged or the lane can be changed is displayed. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when merging or changing lanes.

The driving support device described above is not limited to the in-vehicle navigation device, that is, the car navigation device, and is appropriately combined with a PND (Portable Navigation Device) that can be mounted in the vehicle, a server provided outside the vehicle, and the like to form a system. It can also be applied to a built navigation device or a device other than the navigation device. In this case, each function or each component of the driving support device is distributed and arranged in each function that constructs the system.

Specifically, as an example, the function of the driving support device can be arranged in the server. For example, as shown in FIG. 36, the user side includes a photographing device 15 and a display device 17. The server 42 includes the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, the map information acquisition unit 13, and the whole. The controller 14 is provided. The map information storage device 16 may be provided in the server 42 or may be provided outside the server 42. With such a configuration, a driving support system can be constructed.

As described above, even with the configuration in which the respective functions of the driving support device are distributed and arranged in the respective functions for constructing the system, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Further, the software that executes the operation in the above-described embodiment may be incorporated in, for example, a server. The driving support method realized by the server executing this software acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of another vehicle, and When the vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, the current vehicle is based on the obtained own vehicle information and the obtained other vehicle information. Generating a traveling position object indicating at least one of a traveling position and a current traveling position, and superimposing the generated traveling position object on the surrounding scenery of the vehicle as the vehicle travels. Is.

As described above, by incorporating the software that executes the operation in the above-described embodiment into the server and operating the server, the same effect as that in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

It should be noted that, in the present invention, the respective embodiments can be freely combined, or the respective embodiments can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the invention.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that innumerable variants not illustrated can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 Driving Support Device, 2 Own Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit, 3 Other Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit, 4 Object Generation Unit, 5 Display Control Unit, 6 Own Vehicle, 7 to 9 Other Vehicle, 10 Driving Support Device, 11 Other Vehicle Position Calculation Unit , 12 other vehicle speed calculation unit, 13 map information acquisition unit, 14 overall control unit, 15 photographing device, 16 map information storage device, 17 display device, 18 processor, 19 memory, 20 traveling position object, 21 other vehicle, 22 addition Deceleration object, 23 virtual own vehicle, 24 virtual other vehicle, 25 traveling position object, 26 other vehicle, 27, 28 traveling position object, 29-31 other vehicle, 32, 33 route object, 34 own vehicle, 35, 36 other vehicle , 37 traveling position object, 38 own vehicle, 39 lane changeable area, 40 lane change caution area, 41 lane unchangeable area, 42 server.

Claims (14)

A vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the current position and speed of the vehicle;
Other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle,
When the own vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit and the other vehicle Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit, an object generation unit that generates a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the own vehicle should currently travel and a position that should not currently travel,
A display control unit that controls to display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit by superimposing it on the scenery around the own vehicle according to the progress of the own vehicle;
A driving support device. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on a lane line forming a lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on a lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates the traveling position object that distinguishes between the current traveling position and the current traveling position. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates the traveling position object according to a degree to which the merging or the lane change is possible. The display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on a lane line that is located in a direction in which the merging or the lane is changed among lane lines that configure the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The driving support device according to claim 5, wherein: The driving support device according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit controls display or non-display of the traveling position object according to a predetermined event. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates an acceleration/deceleration object that indicates with characters or symbols that acceleration or deceleration is currently to be performed. The traveling position object indicates a route from a current position of the own vehicle to a point where the own vehicle can merge or change the lane,
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates an object indicating a virtual own vehicle that is the virtual own vehicle located at the point. The object generation unit generates an object indicating that the virtual own vehicle is in contact with a virtual other vehicle that is the virtual other vehicle at the point. Driving support device. The travel position object indicates a route from the current position of the own vehicle to each of the points when there are a plurality of points where the merging or the lane can be changed. Driving support device. The display control unit is configured to perform a control of not displaying each of the objects when the lane to be merged or the lane changing lane is congested, and a control of displaying each of the objects except when the lane is congested, The driving support device according to claim 11. The display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on a lane behind the host vehicle and on which the host vehicle is traveling. Driving support device. Obtaining own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle,
Obtain other vehicle information including the current position and speed of other vehicles,
When the own vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, in the obtained own vehicle information and the obtained other vehicle information, Based on, based on the vehicle, to generate a traveling position object indicating at least one of the current traveling position and the current traveling position,
A driving support method for performing control to superimpose and display the generated traveling position object on a scenery around the vehicle as the vehicle travels.

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